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Decommissioned Navy Tug Sinks off California Coast

Published Dec 15, 2011 4:55 PM by The Maritime Executive

Coast Guard and Department of Fish and Game personnel responded to a report of the Tug Tiger, a decommissioned 205-foot former Navy tug, sinking while moored in Richmond, Calif., Sunday December 11.

The Coast Guard Incident Management Division personnel from Sector San Francisco arrived on scene and noticed a black discharge coming from the sinking vessel.

PHOTO: An air bubble rises from the hull of the sunken Tug Tiger

Global Diving and Salvage arrived on scene and deployed three layers of 22-inch hard boom around the tug with all pollution contained inside the boomed area.

The Coast Guard also oversaw the deployment of boom around Brook’s Island, a 373 square-acre preserve just south of Richmond inner harbor.

Global Diving and Salvage plans to conduct drum skimming to recover the released product.

The amount of product onboard the Tiger before it sank and the amount of product released is currently unknown. The cause of the vessel sinking is under investigation.

PHOTO: The scene of the sunken Tug Tiger

A Unified Command has been established and is coordinating the clean up response. The Unified Command consists of members from the Coast Guard, California Office of Spill Prevention and Response, the Port of Richmond and the Richmond Fire Department.

No wildlife impacts have been reported, but crews continue to monitor for them. 

 

Source: U.S. Coast Guard